DFLer Tom Bakk said during a recent news conference that his main priority is jobs and said he was troubled by some recent unemployment figures:

“When you hear me talk about jobs being my he number one priority in my governor’s campaign, I’m speaking from the heart as someone who has personally experienced it. And the fact that 170,000 Minnesotans tomorrow are going to get an unemployment check is painful for me. And further, 500 people tomorrow are going to get their last check. Their last check. And that has happened every week in the month of October. More than 500 people got their last unemployment check.”

Kirsten Morrell, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says 177,000 Minnesotans collected unemployment benefits in the week ending November 7th. She also said Bakk’s statement that roughly 500 Minnesotans exhaust their unemployment benefits each week has been true. Here are the numbers.

BUT….

Bakk made his comments on November 5th. Since then, President Obama signed a bill into law that extends unemployment benefits an additional 14 weeks. So, even people who had used up all 79 weeks of benefits and extensions may now qualify for those additional 14 weeks.

About the blogger

Tom Scheck has covered politics and state government for more than ten years for MPR News. He’s covered several gubernatorial campaigns, two statewide recounts, the presidential bids of Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann, U.S. Senate races, close Congressional contests and the Minnesota Legislature. He lives in Falcon Heights with his wife, son and dog. He can sometimes be found chasing a white ball on a golf course. It isn’t a straight walk. Tips are welcome at tscheck@mpr.org

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I don’t get this “fact check.” Bakk was basically right on the numbers he used. The GOP had been holding this extension hostage in the Senate since May. Is this “fact check” supposed to prove that he can’t predict the future? Didn’t know prognostication was a necessary trait to be governor these days.

tom scheck

Fact-checks don’t always have to say a public official is wrong, brother. We’re just taking statements candidates make and checking them out to see if they’re right or not.

http://www.minnesotacentral.blogspot.com MinnesotaCentral

Tom,

Great reporting. I wish there was more follow-up on what candidates say … especially if they repeat things after they are no longer valid. Case in point, when Palenty/Kline/Paulsen continue to reference The Lewin Group study involving healthcare legislation and never ackowledging that even the report authors have stated that the current proposal is not what there estimate was based on.

That leads to the question : Was Bakk repeating this claim after the President signed the legislation and checks had been received ? If he did, they he should be promptly admonished … if he did not, then that is not a concern.

Second question : Is anyone attacking Bakk’s claims ? You have more knowledge of inside politics and what manipulation of the facts may be going on.

Lastly, have you thought about how to put the accuracy of the claim in perspective ? Some have used a meter to distinguish true from fiction … in this case the dial may be slanted toward the truth end.